2032 Olympics: Brisbane proposed as host by International Olympic Committee

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Cathy Freeman with Olympic flameImage source, Getty Images
Image caption,

Brisbane would be the third Australian city to host the Olympics after Melbourne in 1956 and Sydney in 2000

Australian city Brisbane has moved a step closer to being named the host for the 2032 Olympic Games.

Brisbane was named the preferred bidder in February and has now been proposed as host by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) executive board.

Several cities and countries had expressed an interest in hosting the Games, including Indonesia, Budapest, China, Doha and Germany's Ruhr Valley.

Members will vote to name the 2032 host on 21 July at the next IOC session.

IOC president Thomas Bach said the Brisbane bid had "strong support across the political spectrum".

"It was a vision for a sustainable and feasible Olympic Games," Bach said.

"All of this made it irresistible.

"Climate is always important but what is more important is the human atmosphere. We see the Aussies love their sport and welcoming athletes from around the world - this is more important than whether it is 10 degrees or 25."

The IOC said Brisbane's bid made use of 84% existing or temporary venues. Local officials have suggested that the Gabba cricket ground could be rebuilt to become the lead venue for the Games.

The GabbaImage source, Getty Images
Image caption,

The Gabba is one of the main cricket grounds in Australia and also hosts a number of other sports

Australia last hosted the Olympics in 2000 in Sydney.

The delayed 2020 Olympics will be held in Tokyo, Japan in the summer, with Paris in France staging the 2024 Games and Los Angeles in the United States hosting the 2028 Olympics.

The IOC overhauled its rules in 2019 to reduce the money wasted on unsuccessful bids. There are no official candidate cities campaigning before the vote as has been the case in the past.

In February the IOC's future host commission recommended the body entered "targeted dialogue" with Brisbane bid organisers and the Australian Olympic Committee.

The new system has been criticised but Bach said it had been a "very transparent procedure".

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